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How Did This Get Made?
How Did This Get Made?

The Dirt Bike Kid (Classic)

July 21, 2026 • 1h 14m

Summary

⏱️ 11 min read

Overview

The How Did This Get Made podcast crew tackles the 1985 film 'The Dirt Bike Kid,' starring Peter Billingsley. Paul, June, and Jason dissect this bizarre tale of a magical dirt bike that can fly, drive itself, and help a kid take down a predatory banker. The hosts explore the film's confusing plot shifts, problematic 80s tropes, uncomfortable sexual harassment themes, and wonder why nobody questions a sentient motorcycle terrorizing their small town.

Introduction and Technical Difficulties

The episode begins with the hosts diving into 'The Dirt Bike Kid,' but not before June experiences connectivity issues that lead to a hilarious tangent about ethernet cables and her alleged tendency to shoo away tech installation crews. The conversation reveals June's previous manicure-during-podcast incident that caused audio problems, leading to confessions and playful blame-shifting about equipment and standards.

  • The movie's tagline promises magic, action, romance, and winning - none of which really materialize as expected
  • June discovers she's had an ethernet cable installed under her desk that she never knew about
  • June admits to getting a manicure during the last podcast recording, which caused audio issues that took Devin 3-4 hours to fix
" What is this movie called? I forgot. What is it called? "
" I was accused of getting a manicure during the episode. And I was. "

The Movie's Identity Crisis and Flying Bikes

The hosts struggle to pin down what kind of movie this is supposed to be. Is it about dirt bike racing? Little League baseball? Banking corruption? The film introduces a magical flying dirt bike at minute 13, and Peter Billingsley's character reacts with surprising nonchalance. The bike has no personality or backstory, just beeps and headlight emotions like a discount E.T., leading to confusion about whether it's more like Herbie or Jack and the Beanstalk.

  • At minute 13, Peter Billingsley is flying above Los Angeles on the dirt bike with almost no reaction
  • The bike communicates through beeps, boops, and headlight movements rather than having a distinct personality
  • The movie sets up a dirt bike race storyline that is completely abandoned
  • Nobody in the film acknowledges or questions why a bike can fly
" At minute 13 is flying above Los Angeles. He's flying on the dirt bike at minute 13. I was like, where is this going? "
" It's like he lives in a world where you can fly on dirt bikes. Because that scene had me thinking, like, oh, can you fly on dirt bikes in this world? "

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